Danny Phantom in: The Final Foe
by nevetsnewecm
Summary: The story takes place six months after the events of the series finale. First chapter up, not sure when I will update with more. If you guys have any kind of comments or critique feel free to let me hear it because this is my first story. Also, the obvious, I do not own Danny Phantom. Though I would like to have legal rights to it as intellectual property unfortunately I do not.


Danny Phantom in: The Final Foe

Danny drifted aimlessly through the Ghost Zone, simply referred to as "the Zone" by its inhabitants. As of late he had become increasingly familiar with the geography of the Zone.

It had been about six months since Danny had gathered ghosts from across the Zone in a successful effort to save planet Earth from what had been imminent destruction. But what was important to Danny about the event wasn't so much the aspect of saving the Earth, but moreover his relationship with Sam that became official after the event had passed.

While they were essentially a happy couple, a couple which had been foreseen by all who knew the pair, it seemed as though they fought regularly. And not too long after their relationship had started a pattern ensued. When Danny and Sam had a fight, afterwards Danny would spend some time in the Ghost Zone. Sometimes he sulked, sometimes he looked for a way to displace his aggression, and then on days like today he just wandered through the Zone with no point or purpose.

Danny sighed audibly.

As he floated through the Zone in his ghost form Danny reflected on his relationship with Sam. Not just their relationship as a couple for the past months, but their relationship since they first met. While deep in thought Danny was still subconsciously aware of his surroundings, remaining vigilant against attacks from one of his many adversaries.

Danny sighed again.

"What's the problem, ghost child?" said a familiar voice through the use of a voice modulator.

"What do you want Skulker?" Danny replied.

"I couldn't help but notice that you're a long way from home. You're doing some dangerous exploring by being in these parts." Skulker stated, without any hesitation in his voice.

"Dangerous exploring?" Danny repeated, not really sure what Skulker meant. Danny then looked around. While his senses had attuned themselves to be on guard against attack even while in deep thought they were not so sharp as to perceive his whereabouts at the same time.

It was true, as Danny examined his surroundings nothing about it stuck out to him as being reminiscent of the sections of the Zone that he was familiar with. Danny could now easily find almost all of the ghosts whom he'd come into contact with in his time as a ghost himself. Skulker was one such ghost, though Danny never visited the hunter at his hunting grounds.

"I didn't notice to be honest." Danny said.

"It would serve you well to pay more attention, welp. This area is not like the Ghost Zone that you know and I love, this territory is dangerous even for me to be entering. I just had to run an errand for that friend of yours." Skulker occasionally referred to Vlad as Danny's friend.

"He's not my friend Skulker. We've been over this." Danny paused for a moment. "Come to think of it, if you noticed I was distracted why didn't you try to capture me?"

"I have no intention of fighting you here and attracting the attention of creatures that even I am not fit to hunt. I just thought I would give to fair warning before you ventured any further, farewell, ghost child." And with that, Skulker left, leaving Danny to ponder what was nearby that would scare off even Skulker.

While Danny might normally not do something as rash and potentially dangerous as continue in the direction he was heading, after his fights with Sam he occasionally felt less concern for his own safety. Danny thought it over for a moment then continued on towards the unknown.

Before thoughts of Sam clouded his mind, but after his encounter with Skulker his thoughts were focused almost solely on his current situation. If his location was as dangerous as Skulker made it out to be, he would have to be on his guard.

Danny floated through this foreign area of the Zone taking in unfamiliar sights while also trying to improve on the cognitive map of the Zone that he was always seeking to expand. Even though Danny had not yet been to this part of the Zone he did not think it looked that much different from other areas he had been to before now.

"I've been waiting for you." Danny turned with a start as a mysterious voice came seemingly out of nowhere to confront him. The direction that the voice came from was somewhat dark but as Danny continued looking his eyes adjusted and he began to make things out. There was what appeared to be a large piece of rubble like the inside corner of a stone building that a figure was casually resting in the corner of. The figure rested their back against one of the walls. One leg was straight out in front while the other was drawn up closer to the figure so that one arm could be rested on it.

"You! Who are you?!" Danny shouted without really meaning to. He did not know who or what the figure was but he thought that he was in a dangerous area so attempted to intimidate the possible threat.

"Hmph. That's a rather rude way of greeting someone. Didn't your parents teach you proper manners Daniel?" The voice was calm each time it spoke. It did not sound aggressive in nature nor was it especially high- or low-pitched. They did not waver as they spoke maintaining a steady vocal composure. From what Danny could both see and hear he assumed that he was conversing with a male.

"I won't ask again! Who are you?" Danny held his ground in his poorly attempted interrogation. Even though the man was not very close Danny felt threatened enough to prepare a ghost ray in his right hand. Despite the distance the light from the preparatory ghost ray revealed more of the man, allowing Danny to identify a few of his features. The man appeared not too much older than Danny. He wasn't much taller than the average male for that age with a slim yet simultaneously muscular build. He had light features; his hair seemed to be some shade of blonde, his eyes seemed to be somewhere between blue and green, and while his skin was not pale he had far from a tan complexion.

His face had mostly soft or normal features with the exception of his sharp, almost hooked, nose. And his expression was what really struck Danny. His eyes looked almost sad. His eyes seemingly pleaded and yet they were alone, betraying the expression on the rest of his face. While his eyes looked as though they may cry at any moment the rest of this man's face was blank; expressionless. But the most surprising thing of all was something that stunned Danny because he had not even considered it; the figure appeared to be a human!

Danny ceased charging his ghost ray and lowered his hand back to his side. The man seemed undisturbed by this just as he was when Danny raised his hand holding the ecto-energy in the first place. The unknown man did not take his eyes off Danny for a moment, nor Danny off him.

The man exhaled slowly before speaking. "Alright. Now then, if you're done trying to act tough Daniel I would like to speak. I did not wait here in this-" there was a pause as the man looked around with a twinge of disgust as he said the next word "- _place_ just for you to puff out your chest and try to look big and intimidating." Danny grew more apprehensive at these words but did not speak, instead allowing the man to continue speaking. It was starting to dawn on Danny that this man seemed to know who he was even though he had not so much as introduced himself.

"I've watched you for some time Daniel. I know everything about you and your life. I know about your inner struggle with being a ghost, I know about your fights with other ghosts in the Zone, I know about your friends and family, I know -" As the man spoke about Danny like this, he became quick to anger "Look! I don't know who you are and I don't care. But whatever it is you're trying to do here, it's not gonna work. And if you think -"

The man's expression and demeanor seemed to shift for the first time since their encounter began. The stranger changed from his calm, controlled exterior to that of anger, frustration, or similar state of upset.

"That is enough!" His loud voice cut Danny off mid-sentence. His expression returned somewhat to what it had been before his outburst but still maintained some characteristics of anger. "It is obvious that I do not have your undivided attention if you are willing to interrupt me so nonchalantly. Perhaps a visual will shut you up, and allow me the opportunity to say what I came here to say."

As he said this last statement he slowly got to his feet. He stood up completely straight, put his hands in his pockets, and wrapped his left leg behind his right. He looked back up and glared daggers at Danny who was froze at this point not knowing what to expect next. The man placed all his weight on the ball of his right foot, "Going -" and pushed off the ground into the air, maintaining the same stance he held while standing "- ghost". He said the phrase with slight mocking whimsy in his voice.

Before Danny's eyes the man underwent a spectral transformation. His light, seemingly blonde hair turned snow white except for the tips which were jet black. His eyes were as black as coals with a strange red shine to them that seemed to reflect regardless of circumstance. His skin grew to reflect that of a ghost yet at the same time did not ostensibly change in any significant way.

What Danny saw scared him. The ghost before him, while looking very dissimilar, reminded him chillingly of when he fought his future self Dan Phantom.

"You seem surprised." The voice startled Danny, it was almost as though he had forgotten that the form in front of him could speak. "Did you think you were unique? You are already aware of the existence of Vlad Masters ghost form Plasmius. Why should the existence of another halfa surprise you?" Danny couldn't move, he couldn't even speak. Danny couldn't understand how this could be happening.

"Well while you're speechless I suppose I will go on. The reason why I met you here today is to deliver a message." He raised his right hand and held only his pointer finger up in front of his face. "Heed this warning and heed it well, because I will appear to speak to you this one time and this one time only. You have ten years at most."

At this Danny snapped out of his shocked stupor. "Ten years? Ten years for what?" A tight-lipped smirk grew on the man's face. "Ten years to train; to prepare." Danny was still confused at this man's poor explanation of himself. "You're not making sense. What's this ten years you're talking about? What do I need to prepare for?" The man's smirk turned into a grin which now revealed his teeth. "For me."

The man's immediate answer said it all, yet he elaborated anyways. "In roughly ten years time, less if I so choose, I will return. And if you cannot stop me when I do then I will destroy everything and kill everyone." What he just said did not initially register with Danny. But the reality of what he said slowly sunk in.

"What?!" Danny replied with torrent of emotions running through him. "You heard me. But for your benefit I will repeat: If you, Danny Phantom, cannot stop me when I return in ten years time then I will destroy everything and kill everyone. It is that simple."

Danny replied in a fit of rage still completely controlled by his emotions not having time to process what was being told him. "And what if I just kick your ass right here and now?! That should put a dent in your plan."

The man seemed somewhat amused by this. "Haha, is that a serious notion? Am I meant to actually entertain the idea that you will fight me here and now and actually stand a ghost of a chance?"

Danny was never known for being a particularly mature teenager and having his abilities insulted in this way only added to the anger he felt towards this still mysterious individual. Danny clenched his fists tight "I'll show you!" and charged at the man in his usual manner of initiating fights. As Danny gets close the man raises his left hand out in front of him with his palm out and fingers outstretched. "Fool"

Without realizing it Danny's body became surrounded by ecto-energy. When Danny was within feet and milliseconds of crashing into the man his body stopped in its tracks. Danny's eyes widened as he rightly assumed that this stasis was caused by the man. With a few flicks and waves of his one hand the man effortlessly flung Danny around the empty space of the Zone and into or through several nearby collateral items. He then brought Danny in front of him.

"Hey! Let me go!" Danny protested. "I don't think so. This isn't like those childish scuffles you've been in thus far. This is a real fight with real consequences. I had hoped I wouldn't have to demonstrate but you've left me no choice." The man patronized. "Ha! You think that this is proving how strong you are? Puh-lease, I've fought stronger ghosts than this with one hand behind my back." While Danny issued some witty banter the truth of the situation was that he was scared, this ghost seemed way too powerful for him to fight alone.

The man's facial expression became that similar to a snarl. "Joke all you want but the fact of the matter is that you are currently helpless. I was more powerful in the very first stages of my development than you are now. Techniques and powers that took you months just to learn I mastered in mere days." He seemed to become increasingly infuriated as he spoke. "I did not follow your every action all this time just to kill you here though. While you are certainly no prodigy you have nearly limitless potential, and I want someone who can challenge me. Which is why I will give you time, I suggest you not waste it and become as strong as you possibly can."

With that the man flexed his hand consequently releasing Danny from the ecto-energy that held him under the man's control. "Well, now that you stopped using that cowardly attack maybe we can fight for real." The man had already turned and begun to leave when he returned to facing Danny. "What was that? You can't be serious right now." Then he said something that resonated with Danny as being eerily similar to one of his encounters with Vlad Plasmius. "Fool, I'm more powerful than you'll ever know!" He said with condescension in his voice.

Danny learned from his first mistake not to charge headfirst at this enemy, so instead he fired his ghost ray at the man from afar. The man caught the beam of ecto-energy in his hand without batting an eye. "Fine then, if you really wish to continue then I shall. At least for a short while, I have no plans after all." Before the man had just turned his head back towards Danny to look at him, he now repositions his entire body to face Danny again.

"Despite your inexperience and lack of natural talent I will give you credit where credit is due." Danny curiously raised an eyebrow at this comment. "There is one technique which I learned from you which I have actually become quite fond of: your Ghostly Wail." Danny's eyes widened in disbelief at this. It took Dan Phantom ten years to learn that power and Danny only learned it out of necessity under the extreme duress of being beaten by his enemies' future forms.

"Allow me to demonstrate that as well as an ability of my own." Danny had not realized it but the man was still holding the energy from Danny's ghost ray in his hand. The reason Danny had noticed it was because the man was presently bringing the held ecto-energy up to his mouth. The man gulped hard and when he took his hand away the ecto-energy was gone. Was Danny really to believe that his attack was just swallowed? This seemingly increasingly dangerous man now sharply inhaled for what seemed like 20 or 30 seconds. And then, it happened.

The still unidentified half-human/half-ghost leaned forward as he bellowed out with a ghostly wail far more powerful than Danny's and, while Danny could not be sure, seemingly even stronger than when Dan Phantom's. The attack damaged Danny's body unmercifully while also sending him flying in the direction of the attack. He was flung through the Ghost Zone, travelling with the attack for at least 15 seconds before hitting an object solid enough not to instantly crumble under the force of the attack. The man ended the shriek a few moments later and casually hovered over to Danny's location.

Danny, having collapsed after the force of the attack holding him against the object dissipated, now struggled to get to his feet but could not find the strength to do so. Because he had sustained such a great amount of damage, Danny changed back into his human form. "So as you can see, I have the capacity to ingest another ghost's ecto-energy and then send it back at them compounded with my own power to intensify the attack." The man spoke as though he were lecturing Danny.

Echoing the question he had asked upon their first meeting Danny was barely able to choke out the words, "Who are you?" The man chuckled. "You mean besides the ghost who is crushing you? Besides the most powerful ghost in the Ghost Zone? Besides the ghost who will haunt your dreams of what will happen if you fail to defeat me next time?" He said the last question slower and quieter in comparison to the first two. As the man looked down at Danny's defeated face his expression softened imperceptibly.

"Very well, I suppose you should have a way of referring to me when you tell this story later." The man seemed to think for a moment before continuing. As the man thought Danny kept trying in vain to rise from the ground but his strength was gone. "Deus... Phasma Phasmatis" Danny fell to the ground and ceased his futile efforts to rise, only turning his head to the side to look at this ghost who called himself Deus. "It's Latin, it means ghostly god or something to that effect." Danny felt his consciousness fading away. "Don't worry, when you wake up you will be safe. If you were to die I would have no one to challenge me when I return in a decade."

Before Danny could say anything or attempt to do anything else and before Deus could say or do anything, all of Danny's strength had left him. Danny passed out.


End file.
